WXUR

[doctorcomputer3]

I had a chance to tune in today on the way back from the Hudson Valley. The music is very good! I honestly didnt think the Morning Show was right for Upstate NY Rock Radio but when Keeler took it to the internet I was excited for them because it could have fit for NY or one of these Niche audiences. Bob and Tom were very popular because I knew people that really enjoyed listening to them. Good move Jack and its available for people to listen to daily.

 

[therealjm12]

Sorry, gotta disagree, Owner. . I thought Keeler put on a pretty good show. I have only caught Keeler a few times over the years. Maybe it was a Brother Wease rip off but you have to know who Brother Wease is to know that. I have heard Bob & Tom several times. I just don't get it. Just nothing special. To me, local beats syndicated or satellite every time. The fact is, Keeler put his heart & soul into the community. Too bad there isn't room for him someplace on the dial.

 

[BobRoss]

I have heard Bob & Tom several times. I just don't get it. Just nothing special. To me, local beats syndicated or satellite every time. The fact is, Keeler put his heart & soul into the community. Too bad there isn't room for him someplace on the dial.

I agree 100%. Haven't listened to Bob & Tom very often, because the few times I have listened, they're always laughing at their own stuff and/or playing a laugh track. If you're going to put together a parody song, just play it. Let ME do the laughing if it's funny. If you have to insert your own laughter in order for listeners to realize something is funny, then it's not really funny, is it?

I also think it's unfortunate that Bob & Tom don't offer a "news window" at the top of the hour. Most B&T affiliates are likely rock stations that don't do news anyway, but for examples like WXTL in Syracuse, the absence of a local news presence at the top of the hour is, in my opinion, a major obstacle in any attempt to compete against WSYR, which does have a local talk show and local newscasts in morning drive.

Over the years people have called Keeler a ripoff of people like Howard Stern, but Stern's never been available in the Utica market (pre-satellite, anyway) and for all the comedic stuff he does, he's also been a supporter of various charities and causes over the years.

He'd do well on WOUR -- better than Gomez and Dave being piped in from Syracuse, anyway -- but the bridge with Galaxy was burned long ago. Not really anywhere else on the dial where his show would fit the format... he's already addressed that himself when he was shown the door at WXUR. It's a shame he's encountered problems with the online streaming thing, but I have a feeling Mindy Barstein at WXUR will soon come to regret her decision to boot Keeler. I'm not a huge fan of Keeler, rarely get a chance to listen, but I still agree local beats syndicated almost every time. Especially in morning drive -- you're much better off being local and topical, rather than going with the "vanilla" mass-appeal approach of syndication.

 

[doctorcomputer3]

Dont missunderstand me, Im no huge fan of B&T either. Like Bob and JM, I dont get it with the laughing at your own jokes and 5 minutes of laugh tracks. I just think they are a better fit based on observing locals (blue collar) laughing about what they used to hear on the station. Coming from this area I can see how the tsa would like this morning show better than Keeler. I dont hate the Keeler group either, though they may think I do, I honestly dont. If it were me running an FM that covers the tsa and I had to rate the two choices of B&T and the Keeler Show because I had to sell advertising on a rock station, I would choose B&T for the people that dont spout off an opinion. Simply based on personal experience. If you understand the business, you know that your opinion doesnt mean squat. Its the opinion of the masses and I am only framing up an objective opinion. Bill Keelers biggest problem was his blatent lying. Again, I dont hate the guy for it but I know that he turned off a lot of people with it. Youre looking for adult working folk that have had their identies stolen or some other form of underhandedness happen to them in real life and as soon as they heard some of those phoney phone calls and how rude they were, they turned off for good. Maybe at night on tv, maybe on a younger top 40 station or maybe in NYC, but utica just didnt fit on adult rock radio in CNY in the morning. The 2 rating proved it. I honestly wish the man had given e-radio a better shot because he may have been able to get a broader tsa. It would have been nice to see him slow down on the bs too. Im not willing to get into an argument with a snake oil salesman about 1000 listeners which they didnt have (or they would have shown that on the player if they were smart) or about him bringing the rest of our internet projects up single handedly. I would never let anyone take credit for my project that didnt deserve it. Its too bad, he has some talent, I just dont think he knows exactly where he stands in radio. Local is absolutely better, but every one of us are charitable in one way or another. Simply put, Keeler needed to calm down and learn how to get along with the conservatives in Upstate ny. Tune your Mobile device to Bill Handels Morning show in Los Angeles. He reminds me a lot of Keeler and the funny part of the show is when one of his co-hosts corrects him. Not just a bunch of young yes men sitting around corraling 1000 friends to say they listen or make friends with you on Facebook. Thats not real popularity and nothing you can put money behind. Keeler was bold in trying the internet and I was very excited for him. But again, after a superbowl commercial and a good spin campaign, just a HUGE let down like the prank calls. I also like my old Program Director Jack Moran and thought this was a good move. I heard Tom Starr announcing a lot of music that I like this afternoon. It brought me back and I have enjoyed a lot of the work that Jack has done. Is there anything wrong with enjoying both of these projects?